Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Anniversary of Mother Benedicta Riepp's Death

Today we remember our foundress, Mother Benedicta Riepp, who died of tuberculosis at Saint Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., on March 15, 1862. Below is a prayer written by Sister Ephrem Hollermann and a photo of Mother Benedicta Riepp's gravesite. Most of our photos of the gravesite were taken in summer, when we have a nicely tended flower plot in front of the marker. To see it on this March day, when the temperature is still in the 20s and there is icy snow on the ground, is to understand again the frontier spirit of the women who came to this place back in 1857.

Loving God,
We praise and thank you for the life and mission of Mother Benedicta Riepp. Cherishing the privilege of her call, and placing unconditional trust in your divine providence, she dared to dream of a new era for the vision and spirit of Benedict. May her life of prayer and work inspire us to move into our own uncharted future with faith, hope and love. This we ask through Jesus, the Christ. Amen. 

To read more about Mother Benedicta Riepp and the communities she founded, click here.

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